11 programmes and training pathways found from official sources. Confirm current availability, licensing, and operating privileges directly with each institution.
This summary describes the profiles indexed here; it is not a count of vacancies.
Read the individual participation terms: a broad clinical pathway label does not establish hands-on access.
6 focus areas are represented. Compare the curriculum and supervision within your intended subspecialty.
Functional & epilepsy comparison guide →Neurointervention comparison guide →Paediatric neurosurgery comparison guide →Radiosurgery comparison guide →Ask the selected host in Spain whether your qualifications fit this specific post, which patient-care activities are permitted, and who arranges registration and immigration documentation. Country coverage does not imply that every profile accepts international applicants.
International application checklist →Before committing, request the current cohort dates, supervisor, expected weekly activities and a breakdown of support and costs. Confirm whether the official source describes this programme, an institution-wide policy or an older intake.
Compare your shortlisted profiles →Clinical · Travelling fellowship pathways are represented. Country-level licensing, language and visa requirements are not inferred; confirm them with the host and the current national or regional regulator.
International applicant guide →Recorded information is not a guarantee of funding, eligibility or a currently open intake.
IRCA Institute of Advanced Radiosurgery with Universidad Alfonso X el Sabio
Madrid · Spain
Listed lead Prof. Dr. Kita Sallabanda
Application status: Registration stated as open; spaces limited; no deadline listed.
Funding: Not stated on the official page; confirm with the host.
Exposure: Practical training on ZAP-X at IRCA, Gamma Knife at Ruber Internacional Hospital, CyberKnife at HM Hospitales, proton therapy at Quironsalud, and LINAC in the curriculum.
Eligibility: Aimed at physicians and healthcare professionals; specific admission requirements are not listed and applicants are directed to contact IRCA.
Still to confirm: Eligibility · Funding · Deadline · Positions · International eligibility · Medical registration · Examinations · Language · Visa / work authorisation · Benefits · Fees · Insurance · Accommodation · Application documents
Source: IRCA Radiocirugia, International Master in Radiosurgery. Reviewed 12 Nov 2026. Status reflects the last review, not a live vacancy check. Completeness is not a quality rating.
Barcelona · Spain
Listed lead Dr Joaquim Enseñat (service leadership referenced on teaching testimonials)
Funding: Not clearly published on the teaching page.
Exposure: Medium-to-high complexity neurosurgery with strength in skull base, vascular and functional surgery; technology cited by visitors includes intraoperative CT/MRI, Kinevo microscopes, endoscopy towers and neuronavigation.
Eligibility: Hospital Clínic-wide: training stays are offered to foreign professionals working in a country that has signed a cultural collaboration agreement with Spain.
Still to confirm: Eligibility · Funding · Current status · Commencement · Deadline · Positions · Examinations · Visa / work authorisation · Benefits · Accommodation · Accreditation
Source: Official Hospital Clínic teaching page. Reviewed 13 Oct 2026. Status reflects the last review, not a live vacancy check. Completeness is not a quality rating.
Instituto Clavel, Neurocirugía & Cirugía de Columna, Hospital Quirónsalud Barcelona
Barcelona · Spain
Application status: 2026 programme document; applications by email at least 6 months before preferred dates
Funding: Training free of charge; travel, accommodation, living costs, medical and liability insurance paid by the rotating doctor
Exposure: Observation of spine surgery procedures
Eligibility: Open to foreign specialists
Still to confirm: Current status · Deadline · Participation level · Medical registration · Examinations · Visa / work authorisation · Benefits · Fees · Insurance · Accommodation · Programme director · Accreditation
Source: Instituto Clavel rotation programme 2026 (PDF). Reviewed 12 Nov 2026. Status reflects the last review, not a live vacancy check. Completeness is not a quality rating.
Hospital Sant Joan de Déu Barcelona
Barcelona · Spain
Funding: The official page does not publish funding or salary details.
Exposure: Nationally renowned paediatric neurosurgery practice including refractory epilepsy, ataxia and hereditary paraplegia pathways and complex paediatric neurosurgery.
Eligibility: Already-qualified personnel from sites around the world are welcomed alongside Spanish MIR residents.
Still to confirm: Duration · Current status · Commencement · Deadline · Positions · Medical registration · Examinations · Visa / work authorisation · Benefits · Fees · Insurance · Accommodation · Application documents · Programme director
Source: Official Sant Joan de Déu training page. Reviewed 13 Oct 2026. Status reflects the last review, not a live vacancy check. Completeness is not a quality rating.
European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS)
Barcelona (2026 edition; venue changes between editions) · Spain
Listed lead Ramon Torné, Course Director (2026 edition)
Funding: The official page does not publish funding details.
Exposure: Basic technical and theoretical introduction to endovascular treatment of neurovascular disease, its indications, strengths and pitfalls, taught by dual-trained neurosurgeons and neurointerventional specialists. The detailed June 2026 syllabus additionally covers access routes, coiling and adjunctive devices, AVMs/dural fistulas, stroke thrombectomy, chronic subdural haematoma embolisation and vasospasm.
Eligibility: Aimed at young neurosurgeons who want a basic understanding of endovascular treatment; limited to 30 delegates.
Still to confirm: Current status · Deadline · International eligibility · Examinations · Language · Visa / work authorisation · Insurance · Application documents · Accreditation
Source: Official EANS 2026 Basic Endovascular Course page. Reviewed 15 Oct 2026. Status reflects the last review, not a live vacancy check. Completeness is not a quality rating.
Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla — Department of Neurosurgery & Surgical Spine Unit
Santander · Spain
Listed lead Paloma de la Dehesa Cueto-Felgueroso (surgeon in charge of fellows); head of department Rubén Martín Láez
Funding: AO Spine pays a small stipend towards accommodation and living costs (benchmark USD 550 per week in the United States, adjusted for local price levels); travel and insurance are paid by the fellow.
Exposure: Neurosurgery department and surgical spine unit: about 443 surgical cases per year and 29 beds, including degenerative, fragility-fracture, trauma, oncology, intradural tumour and spinal AVM/dural fistula cases; techniques include open, endoscopic, minimally invasive, anterior, navigated and intradural surgery, plus a pain clinic and multidisciplinary spine meeting.
Eligibility: Scrub-in requires a medical licence obtained in an EU country or validated by the Spanish Ministry of Health
Still to confirm: Current status · Commencement · Deadline · Positions · Training level · Examinations · Visa / work authorisation · Benefits · Fees · Accommodation · Application documents
Source: Official AO Spine host-centre profile. Reviewed 17 Oct 2026. Status reflects the last review, not a live vacancy check. Completeness is not a quality rating.
Universidad Internacional de Andalucía (UNIA)
Seville · Spain
Listed lead Dr Rafael García de Sola (director); Dr Gonzalo Olivares Granados (co-director)
Funding: The official page does not publish funding or salary details.
Exposure: Mainly virtual programme (with in-person credits and a 12-ECTS final project) covering the pathophysiology, neuroanatomy and surgical techniques of stereotactic, image-guided and functional neurosurgery, including drug-resistant epilepsy.
Eligibility: Graduates from outside the European Higher Education Area may enrol without degree homologation, subject to university verification.
Still to confirm: Current status · Deadline · Training level · Medical registration · Visa / work authorisation · Benefits · Fees · Insurance · Accommodation · Application documents · Application route · Official contact
Source: Official UNIA academic programme document. Reviewed 8 Oct 2026. Status reflects the last review, not a live vacancy check. Completeness is not a quality rating.
Instituto Clavel — Neurosurgery Department
Barcelona · Spain
Listed lead Pablo Clavel, Head of Department; Guillermo Montes, surgeon in charge of fellows (as published)
Funding: AO Spine pays a small stipend as a contribution to accommodation and living costs; travel and insurance must be covered by the fellow.
Exposure: Neurosurgery department with 20 beds and about 1,800 surgical cases a year; open, endoscopic, robotic, minimally invasive, anterior, navigated and intradural spine surgery, pain management techniques and sacroiliac joint fusion. Fellows may scrub in with local hospital accreditation.
Eligibility: This host participates in AO Spine's global short-term international scheme for spine physicians or specialists in orthopaedics, neurosurgery or trauma surgery. Applicants must be 45 or younger, have at least two years of AO Spine membership and prior participation in an AO course/event, and have had no spine fellowship in the preceding two years except self-funded training. Selection does not grant medical registration, visa approval or permission to scrub in; host requirements apply separately.
Still to confirm: Current status · Commencement · Deadline · Positions · Participation level · Training level · Medical registration · Examinations · Visa / work authorisation · Fees · Insurance · Accommodation · Accreditation
Source: Official AO Spine fellowship host-centre page (AO Foundation). Reviewed 17 Oct 2026. Status reflects the last review, not a live vacancy check. Completeness is not a quality rating.
Hospital Clínico San Carlos — Spinal Unit Center
Madrid · Spain
Listed lead Ignacio Dominguez, Head of Department; Angela Carrascosa, surgeon in charge of fellows (as published)
Funding: AO Spine pays a small stipend as a contribution to accommodation and living costs; travel and insurance must be covered by the fellow.
Exposure: Spinal unit with 30 beds and about 600 surgical cases a year; open, endoscopic, robotic, minimally invasive, anterior, thoracoscopic, navigated and intradural spine surgery, plus cadaver-lab and theoretical courses. Fellows may scrub in after a blood test and Spanish health-ministry requirements.
Eligibility: This host participates in AO Spine's global short-term international scheme for spine physicians or specialists in orthopaedics, neurosurgery or trauma surgery. Applicants must be 45 or younger, have at least two years of AO Spine membership and prior participation in an AO course/event, and have had no spine fellowship in the preceding two years except self-funded training. Selection does not grant medical registration, visa approval or permission to scrub in; host requirements apply separately.
Still to confirm: Current status · Commencement · Deadline · Positions · Participation level · Training level · Medical registration · Examinations · Visa / work authorisation · Fees · Insurance · Accommodation · Accreditation
Source: Official AO Spine fellowship host-centre page (AO Foundation). Reviewed 17 Oct 2026. Status reflects the last review, not a live vacancy check. Completeness is not a quality rating.
Hospital Universitario y Politécnico La Fe — Cirugía Ortopédica y Traumatología (spine)
Valencia · Spain
Listed lead Teresa Bas Hermida, Head of Department; Paloma Bas Hermida, surgeon in charge of fellows (as published)
Funding: AO Spine pays a small stipend as a contribution to accommodation and living costs; travel and insurance must be covered by the fellow.
Exposure: Department with 75 beds and about 350 spine surgical cases a year; open, endoscopic, minimally invasive, anterior and navigated spine surgery; daily clinical sessions and weekly multidisciplinary adult and paediatric sessions. Fellows may scrub in (vaccines required).
Eligibility: This host participates in AO Spine's global short-term international scheme for spine physicians or specialists in orthopaedics, neurosurgery or trauma surgery. Applicants must be 45 or younger, have at least two years of AO Spine membership and prior participation in an AO course/event, and have had no spine fellowship in the preceding two years except self-funded training. Selection does not grant medical registration, visa approval or permission to scrub in; host requirements apply separately.
Still to confirm: Current status · Commencement · Deadline · Positions · Participation level · Training level · Medical registration · Examinations · Visa / work authorisation · Fees · Insurance · Accommodation · Accreditation
Source: Official AO Spine fellowship host-centre page (AO Foundation). Reviewed 17 Oct 2026. Status reflects the last review, not a live vacancy check. Completeness is not a quality rating.
Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau / Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge — Skull Base Units
Barcelona · Spain
Listed lead Dr. Fernando Muñoz (Sant Pau - Hospital del Mar) and Dr. Alberto Torres (Hospital de Bellvitge), course directors
Funding: The official page does not publish funding details.
Exposure: Cadaver dissection of middle fossa, cavernous sinus, subtemporal, infratemporal and clivus approaches and minimally invasive approaches (mini-pterional, transorbital, endoscope-assisted), with two simultaneous live surgeries relayed from Bellvitge and Sant Pau.
Eligibility: Aimed at ENT, neurosurgery and maxillofacial specialists and residents; designed for participants working in pairs (neurosurgeon-ENT, ENT-maxillofacial, maxillofacial-neurosurgeon).
Still to confirm: Current status · Deadline · Participation level · Training level · International eligibility · Medical registration · Examinations · Visa / work authorisation · Benefits · Fees · Insurance · Accommodation · Application documents · Accreditation
Source: Official Hospital de Bellvitge course brochure (2025 edition). Reviewed 17 Oct 2026. Status reflects the last review, not a live vacancy check. Completeness is not a quality rating.
